Complete notes and stats in pdf

Game 6
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS (2-3, 1-0) vs. NORTH DAKOTA (2-4, 0-2)
Saturday, October 11, 2014, 1:30 p.m. CT/11:30 a.m. PT • Alerus Center (12,283), Grand Forks, ND
 
TELEVISION: None
RADIO: Rip City Radio 620 AM (KPOJ), www.ripcityradio.com • Pregame Show: 10:30 a.m. • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Analyst: Mike Lund
INTERNET: Live video stream: www.WatchBigSky.com • Live stats: http://www.undsports.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?
 
THE SERIES RECORD: Vikings vs. North Dakota
All-Time Series: The series is tied 2-2 • PSU leads 2-0 in Portland • UND leads 2-0 in Grand Forks
 
Sept. 6, 1980: PSU 28-14 @ Portland
Sept. 5, 1981: UND 17-10 @ Grand Forks
Sept. 8, 2012: UND 45-37 @ Grand Forks (NC)
 
Big Sky Conference games
Oct. 26, 2013: PSU 14-10 @ Portland
 
LAST MEETING, Oct. 26, 2013: Portland State 14, North Dakota 10
Portland State's defense kept it in the game, then the Vikings special teams made the plays to win the game at Providence Park.
     
PSU trailed 10-0 entering the fourth quarter. But a punt block by Michael Plummer and a tackle of North Dakota's punter on UND's next possession led to two easy touchdowns for the Vikings.
     
Portland State moved the football all day, gaining 392 yards, including 281 on the ground,  but until those special teams plays, had failed to score. The Vikings defense shut down North Dakota, holding it to 238 yards, including only 41 rushing. David Edgerson made two interceptions for the Vikings.
        
DJ Adams rushed 18 times for 111 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Kieran McDonagh carried 10 times for a career-high 108 yards.
 
STORYLINES
• North Dakota has been a member of the NCAA I FCS level since 2007. Previously, UND was a member of the Great West Football Conference. In six years at Division I North Dakota has compiled a 33-38 record.
• Bubba Schweigert was named as North Dakota's new Head Coach in the off-season. Schweigert will try to turn around a program that has gone 8-14 over the past two seasons.
• North Dakota, a third-year member of the Big Sky Conference, is currently in the process of developing a new program mascot for 2015.
 
VIKINGS GO AFTER 2-0 START IN THE BIG SKY CONFERENCE
This Saturday, Portland State has a chance to do something it has not done since the 2011 season; start its Big Sky Conference schedule with a 2-0 record. The Vikings will play at North Dakota in a Big Sky game scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. CT/11:30 a.m. PT kickoff.
     
Saturday's game airs on Rip City Radio 620 AM and www.ripcityradio.com. The pregame show starts at 10:30 a.m. A live video stream is available at www.WatchBigSky.com.
     
PSU (2-3, 1-0) opened its league slate with a 23-14 win over UC Davis last Saturday. Now the Vikings will go after 2-0 at UND. PSU last started conference play at 2-0 in 2011, finishing 5-3 in the Big Sky that year. Since then, the Vikings have begun conference play 0-2 each of the last two years.
     
With just the one win over UC Davis, the Vikings currently sit in fourth place in the 13-team Big Sky Conference. Only three other schools are undefeated - Eastern Washington, Montana, Montana State - and all are 2-0.
     
In order for PSU to reach 2-0 in the Big Sky, the Vikings must get past a North Dakota squad that took Montana to the final play last week. The Griz kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to beat UND, 18-15. That leaves North Dakota, a team touting the best run defense in the league, at 2-4 overall, 0-2 in the Big Sky.
     
The series between the school is tied at 2-2 all-time with each team winning twice on its home field.
     
Despite winning at home last Saturday, the Vikings must overcome a four-game road losing streak dating to last season. PSU beat North Dakota in the last meeting between the teams, 14-10, on Oct. 26, 2013 at Providence Park. The Vikings lost at UND, 45-37, on Sept. 8, 2012.
     
Following this Saturday's game, the Vikings come home to host Northern Arizona on Oct. 18. That game will be televised on Root Sports.
 
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota is 2-4 this season under first-year Head Coach Bubba Schweigert. UND has beaten Robert Morris and Stony Brook in non-conference home games. Losses have come at San Jose State, Missouri State and 13th-ranked Montana State, with a home loss to seventh-ranked Montana.
     
North Dakota has struggled to move the ball and score, but has balanced that with an excellent defense. UND has not scored more than 18 points and any game and averages league-lows of 12.0 points and 226.2 offensive yards per game. The rushing game totals just over 82 yards per contest and North Dakota is last in third-down conversions (25.6%).
     
But, North Dakota's 3-4 defense is formidable, allowing a league-low 125.3 rushing yards per contestand ranking second in total defense (330.3 yards) and points allowed (23.8 per game).
     
Quarterback Joe Mollberg has completed 70-133 passes for 848 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions this season. His main target has been wide receover RJ McGill, who has 22 catches for 253 yards and two scores. Kyle Norberg leads the running game with 74 carries for 223 yards and one touchdown.
     
Linebacker Will Ratelle is fourth in the Big Sky Conference in tackles with 64 (10.7 per game). He also has two sacks and two fumble recoveries.
     
North Dakota has 15 sacks on the season, led by three each from Garrett Reineke and Dayo Idowu. As a team UND has 56 tackles for loss, recovered nine fumbles and returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
 
LAST GAME: VIKINGS SHUT DOWN UC DAVIS, 23-14
Portland State opened its Big Sky Conference schedule with a win, beating UC Davis 23-14 at Providence Park. It was the best defensive effort of the season for the Vikings and a strong offensive performance as well.
     
Quarterback Kieran McDonagh had 227 yards of total offense, running for a pair of first-half touchdowns. The Vikings also got a 53-yard field goal from Jonathan Gonzales. And, with the defense allowing only 70 yards to the Aggies in the first half, PSU had a comfortable 17-0 halftime lead.
     
UC Davis closed the gap with a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes by London Lacy. But, Gonzales tacked on two more field goals in the fourth quarter and the Vikings took the win.
     
PSU's defense held UCD to 240 total yards, with just 44 coming on the ground, for its most stifling Saturday of the season. The offense, which included a career-high 106 rushing yards from Nate Tago and 93 yards from Shaquille Richard, finished with 448 yards on the day.
 
SUSTAINABLE AND RECYCLABLE: VIKING QUICK NOTES
WINS AND LOSSES:
• The Vikings win over UC Davis was its fourth straight in the series.
• Portland State is 2-3 this season, 2-0 at home, 0-3 on the road.
• PSU was 6-6 last season, 4-2 at home and 2-4 on the road.
• The Vikings are 12-7 at home since the start of 2011, 6-14 on the road.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton has a 13-10 home record, 7-20 road record, and 20-30 overall record.
• The Vikings have eight winning records in 18 years as a member of the Big Sky Conference.
• PSU is 63-36 in home games since moving to the NCAA I level, 31-75 on the road.
• PSU is 61-79 all-time in Big Sky Conference games in its 19th season as a member. The Vikings are 38-33 at home, 23-46 on the road in BSC games.
 
RUN OR PASS?: Portland State has been known for its running offense in recent years, using concepts of the Pistol that was developed during Head Coach Nigel Burton's time at the University of Nevada. However, the passing game continues to be a larger part of the Viking scheme as time goes by. The run/pass ratio is close to a 50-50 proposition this season. The Vikings have thrown 178 passes through four games (35.6 per game), while running 187 times (37.4 per game)... last year, PSU ran the ball 558 times in 923 plays with was a 60/40 run-pass ratio.
 
EXTENDING DRIVES, PRODUCING A WIN: Portland State's offense looked like its old self last Saturday against UC Davis, compiling 448 total yards, led by a strong running attack that went for 254 yards. PSU went into the game averaging 23.5 points and 342.5 yards per game, well below last year's averages of  34.9 points and a school-record 540.5 yards per game. The key against UC Davis was the Vikings ability to extend drives. PSU went into the game converting on 33% of its third-down opportunities (compared to 40% last year). Against the Aggies, the Vikings were 13-23 on third down (56%) and produced four scoring drives of 12, 14, 12 and 14 plays. That meant more plays run (94), controlling time of possession (35:29) and keeping the Viking defense fresh.
 
RUNNING BACKS ARE BACK: Portland State's running game bounced back from a couple of mediocre games to fire on all cylinders against UC Davis. PSU ran 57 times for 254 yards. A big part of that was a healthy SO RB Nate Tago, who rushed 26 times for a career-high 106 yards. Tago got a slow start to the season after a minor injury in preseason camp. He had only 47 yards rushing going into the game... also providing punch was SR RB Shaq Richard, who carried 16 times for 93 yards. Of course, JR QB Kieran McDonagh added two rushing touchdowns. McDonagh had 227 yards of total offense against UCD. He now has six career rushing touchdowns against the Aggies (2 in each game).
 
A COMPLETE FLIP-FLOP ON DEFENSE: Portland State's run defense has been solid for the past three seasons. In fact, the Vikings were allowing only 90.0 rushing yards through the first three games of this season. However, when the Vikings ran into Cal Poly's triple-option offense on Sept. 20 it gave up a whopping 470 rushing yards. PSU came back to shut down UC Davis' run game, as the Aggies had only 44 yards on 21 carries... in the four games other than Cal Poly, PSU has allowed only 314 rushing yards (78.5) on 107 carries (2.9 ypc).
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKERS: Portland State's defensive numbers are improving after an excellent performance against UC Davis. The Vikings held the Aggies to 240 yards of offense and 14 points, the fewest by an opponent this season... the return of JR LB Anthony McNichols helped the cause as he had a team-high six tackles - including a number of big hits - and one tackle for loss... also prominent on defense were JR LB Zach Berg and JR DT Junior Alexis with six tackles and a tackle for loss each... JR DE Dame Ndiaye made one of the biggest plays of the game, getting a sack on UCD quarterback London Lacy, and forcing a fumble that JR LB Brandon Brody-Heim recovered. That turnover led to PSU's opening field goal in the game... Through four games, PSU's defense has:
• 36 tackles for loss • 13 sacks • 21 pass breakups • 7 forced fumbles
 
YOU'LL GET A KICK OUT OF THIS: There is no way around it. Portland State's kicking game had been a sore subject for the past 16 games. PSU was 3-16 kicking field goals last year (and missed four extra points), and 1-4 kicking field goals this year (4-20 in the 16 games). So, imagine the surprise when Head Coach Nigel Burton ran JR K Jonathan Gonzales on the field in the first quarter against UC Davis for a 53-yard attempt. Gonzales, who had been 1-4, booted the ball right down the middle to open the scoring. He went on to make 3-4 field goals in the game, including two in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Gonzales 53-yarder ties for second-longest field goal in Portland State history... Gonzales is now 4-8 kicking field goals this year, and the Vikings have a whole new perspective on their kicking game.
 
PORTLAND STATE'S LONGEST FIELD GOALS (50+ yards)
1. 55 Pat Moore, 1975 at Eastern Washington
2. 53 Jonathan Gonzales, 2014 vs. UC Davis
     53 Zach Brown, 2011 at Montana
     53 Zach Brown, 2010 at Arizona State
     53 Mike Erickson, 1986 at California Lutheran
6.      52 Zach Brown, 2009 vs. Southern Oregon
     52 Mike Erickson, 1987 vs. CS Northridge
     52 John Kincheloe, 1979 at Weber State
9.      51 Zach Brown, 2011 at Northern Colorado
10.   50 Zach Brown, 2010 vs. Eastern Washington
     50 Zach Brown, 2009 at Northern Colorado
     50 John Kincheloe, 1980 vs. Weber State
 
HE'S NOT GETTING OLDER, HE'S GETTING BETTER: 2013 consensus 1st team All-American SR P Kyle Loomis is the oldest Viking (he turned 27 on Sept. 30). But the All-American proves he is aging well, averaging 45.6 yards on 33 punts this season to rank fourth in the nation. Loomis has 14 punts of 50 yards or better and 13 punts downed inside the 20-yard line... Loomis averaged 46.5 yards per punt last year to lead the nation and set a new PSU record.
 
TURNOVER TALK: Portland State went into 2014 wanting to turn around a turnover issue it dealt with last season. The Vikings had 29 turnovers in 12 games last year and a -8 turnover margin. So far, it hasn't gotten any better as PSU has 11 turnovers in the first five games and a -5 turnover margin.
 
YELLOW FEVER: Portland State had a whopping 18 penalties for 146 yards against Western Oregon on Sept. 6. However, in the other four games combined, PSU has only 17 penalties for 145 yards... so the Vikings are on pace for a huge improvement from last year when PSU led the Big Sky in penalties with 109 for 876 yards.
 
KIERAN MAKES THE TOP 10: JR QB Kieran McDonagh has moved into Portland State's top 10 passing lists for yards, touchdowns, completions and total offense. Here is a look at his numbers:
 
YARDS PASSING
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 13,220
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  8,455
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-87 7,543
   4.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 6,678
   5.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            6,501
   6.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 5,967
   7.   June Jones, 1975-76 5,798
   8.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 5,653
   9.   John Charles, 1991-92 5,563
10.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            4,893
 
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 106
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  63
   3.   John Charles, 1991-92 58
   4.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 51
   5.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 48
   6.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11_ 44
   7.   June Jones, 1975-76_ 41
   8.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 37
   9.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            36
10.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            33
 
PASS COMPLETIONS
    1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 938/1,607
    2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  618/1,038
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 588/954
   4.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            527/928
   5.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 506/897
   6.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 500/924
   7.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 414/724
   8.   June Jones, 1975-76 375/658
   9.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            367/684
10.   John Charles, 1991-92 340/527
 
TOTAL OFFENSE
   1.   Neil Lomax, 1977-80 13,345
   2.   Jimmy Blanchard, 1997-00  8,509
   3.   Chris Crawford, 1985-88 7,258
   4.   Drew Hubel, 2007-11 6,439
   5.   Terry Summerfield, 1981-85            6,046
   6.   Charles Dunn, 1997-00 (RB)           6,007
   7.   Kieran McDonagh, 2012-14            5,744
   8.   Juston Wood, 1999-02 5,681
   9.   June Jones, 1975-76 5,590
10.   Tim Von Dulm, 1969-70 5,501
     
VETERANS: SR RB Shaq Richard has the most playing experience on the Viking team, competing in 37 career games. SR DE Brandon Tobias is second on that list with 35 games played, followed by SR LB Corey Crowder (31) and SR OL Cornelius Edison (31)... players with the most career starts are Edison (28), JR QB Kieran McDonagh (25), JR LS Kameron Canaday (22) and JR CB Aaron Sibley (20). Edison has started 28 games in a row.
 
TASTY, YET INSIGNIFICANT, TIDBITS:
• Portland State has appeared on television locally in Portland 57 times since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. PSU is 20-37 in those games, 13-11 at home, 7-26 on the road... PSU is 1-2 in televised games this season and will play at least two more.
• Portland State is 29-37-2 all-time in season-opening games.
• The Vikings are 15-4 in home opening games since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996. They are 36-21-1 in home openers since 1958.
• With a 45-38 win over Western Oregon, the Vikings are 14-0 against lower division teams since moving to the Big Sky Conference in 1996.
• PSU has played three Big Sky Conference schools in non-conference games over the last three seasons, going 1-2. The Vikings lost at North Dakota, 45-37, in 2012; won at UC Davis, 41-10, in 2013; and lost at Cal Poly, 42-14, in 2014.
• Head Coach Nigel Burton is 4-0 against UC Davis, and 3-0 against the Aggies on the road. He earned his first career win against UCD in 2010.
• The Vikings' 14-10 win against North Dakota were the fewest points in a win since PSU beat Sacramento State, 13-7, on Nov. 11, 2006. PSU plays at UND on October 11.
• The 2007 meeting between Portland State and Weber State is the highest-scoring Division I regulation football game in college history with Weber State winning, 73-68. Amazingly, that was NOT the most points by either team in the series. Weber State earned a 74-6 win in 1965. A Mouse Davis-coached Portland State team won 75-0 in 1980. A 65-43 win by the Vikings in 2001 was the highest-scoring game in PSU history by two teams, combined, until the 2007 contest. PSU plays at Weber State on Oct. 25.
• PSU has averaged 422.7 rushing yards and 52.2 points per game over its last three meetings with Idaho State. The Vikings face ISU on November 1 in Portland.
• Portland State is 4-1 all-time in Thursday games. The Vikings have one Friday game this year, November 21 vs. Eastern Washington.
• PSU has won the Dam Cup - a multi-sport competition with Eastern Washington - in three of the four years of the existence of the competition.